NBA Power Rankings: New York Knicks in No Position to Panic Despite Recent Play

The New York Knicks have hit a bid of a skid after starting off the season atop the Eastern Conference standings.

The Knicks have dropped three out of their past five games, and their two victories came down to the final plays of the game. The losses included a blowout to the Chicago Bulls, a tough road loss to a revamped Los Angeles Lakers team and a road loss to a below-average Sacramento Kings squad.

The recent level of play by the Knicks has a lot of fans confused and worried about what direction their season could be headed in. Many fans and analysts have been asking the question, "Are the Knicks going to go back to their old ways?"

Well, the good news for Knicks fans is that the logical answer to that question is no.

Although there is no denying that the Knicks have come back down to earth after their amazing start, there is no reason to panic in New York.

The most recent three games the Knicks played were all on a West Coast road trip, and they will be returning home for their next two games.

The past two games were also played without star players Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton.

The Knicks have a lot to look forward to in the near future.

Although Raymond Felton's injury has proven to be a long-term one, the injury to Carmelo Anthony does not seem as serious.

The Knicks will also be welcoming back two of their best talents to the lineup soon, Amar'e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert. These two players returning to the Knicks lineup will add several different elements to the Knicks game, mainly scoring (Stoudemire) and defense (Shumpert).

Iman Shumpert gives the Knicks a lockdown defender that will be asked to guard the opposing team's best player on most nights.

As for Stoudemire, many people are not sure where he will fit in with the Knicks when he returns, which has stirred up some controversy, but at the very least he gives the Knicks another scoring option and will take attention away from MVP candidate Carmelo Anthony.

The silver lining from this current skid the Knicks are on is that they managed to play decent basketball and stay in games despite being short two of their top players.

While many people are worried about the Knicks after this disappointing road trip, the fact of the matter is they have no reason to panic right now.